Majesty of Revival - Through Reality (Metal Scrap Records, 2012)

Genre: Progressive/Neoclassical Power Metal
Year: 2012
Country: Ukraïne
Tracklist:
1. Meaning of Life 05:02
2. Self-Control 04:32
3. The Moonlight 05:19
4. The Code 05:05
5. Masked Illusion 04:14 instrumental 
6. Blind 03:52
7. Magnalia Dei 04:29
8. Reality 07:28
9. Epilogus (Part I and II) 08:44
48:45

Review:

So today I have the pleasure to introduce you to Majesty Of Revival, a Ukrainian progressive power metal band. Upon first listening, bands like Yngwie Malmsteen and Rhapsody immediately spring to mind. While those bands have big budgets and real professional sound engineering, Majesty Of Revival does a very good job sounding professional on a lower budget, which is pretty impressive considering it's a debut album. All the instruments sound right and this is especially noticeable with the organ used in 'The Code', but not every song here is a winner. There are some weaker ones like 'Magnolia Dei' with its sudden use of more brutal vocals being very out of place in this sub-genre of metal. And those just aren't even that great to begin with.

The album is pretty diverse with, like previously mentioned, even some grunting to switch things around. That makes for an experience that does not get boring. Too bad not every song is a winner, but at least the good outweigh the bad. As far as singing goes, the 'normal' singer does a decent job and most noticeable of all, has almost no accent. A thing quite strange for a Ukrainian band. Instrumentally it works a bit better, the guitar work is very good on a technical level and elevates the music from being a standard power metal band to a more progressive level.

The artwork is very very fitting; there's no way somebody wouldn't look at this and mistake the genre. Well done, guys. The booklet contains the lyrics as expected, but I do have a gripe with it. Namely the text is almost impossible to read, and being such a small font doesn't really help either. I'm hoping with their next release this will be addressed. I like to know what they are singing about.

For a first album this is quite good and I'm definitely looking forward to what they will bring in the future.

PS: The highlight of the album is definitely 'Self Control'. It's just a song that really, really works.

Rating:


Where to buy?
http://metalscrap.org.ua/en/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2735:majesty-of-revival-qthrough-realityq-cd&catid=41:audiocd&Itemid=47

Exivious - Exivious (self released, 2009)

 Genre: Progressive Jazz (Metal)
Year: 2009
Country: The Netherlands
Tracklist: 

1.	Ripple of a Tear	07:30
2.	Time and Its Changes	04:39
3.	Asurim	05:31
4.	All That Surrounds pt 1	03:38
5.	Waves of Thought	06:24
6.	The Path	05:45
7.	All That Surrounds pt 2	03:39
8.	Embrace the Unknown	04:44
9.	An Elusive Need	04:39
		46:29

Review:
Exivious has members from Cynic (yes the same) and has drummer Stef Broks from Textures, in order to not be limited in their creative expressions they decided to release the album through their own website and only print about 1000 copies for sale. First and foremost I need to mention that the music is not the sum of the previous groups mentioned, rather they take the progressive and technical elements of their previous musical expressions one step further. They music is best described as some sort of jazz-fusion but with the vast majority jazz and little room for the harder metal work. The songs are all built with a spontaneous progression like most jazz songs and not with normal choruses and recurring elements. This makes Exivious not so easy to digest , its gets even harder on the stomach because it’s a pure instrumental album. Without even hearing a single note of music you can decide if this record is going to be suited for your tastes. Do you love far-reaching progressive music and technical instrumental miracles, did you always have a passion for jazz or are you just one of the biggest Cynic fans on earth? Then you can probably do no wrong with purchasing this very album. For those of you who prefer a more common chunk of music it would be best to listen before you buy. To conclude I like to mention that this record is made rather for artists then for the average metalhead. That’s why I cannot wholeheartedly recommended it, but you are free to try it.

Rating:


Where to buy?:
http://www.exivious.net/index.php?sub=store